Plans to bulldoze 30 homes defended by council

Thirty homes in Co-Operative Street and Victoria Street are set to be demolished and replaced

Barnsley Council bosses have defended their decision to demolish 30 terraced houses in Goldthorpe.

It is set to replace them with nine new council homes, as the waiting list for a council property reaches 10,000.

Approval was given earlier in the week to use the council's compulsory purchasing order (CPO) powers to buy the 16 homes.

However, questions were raised about the decision to spend almost £3m buying and demolishing 30 homes – to replace them with just nine.

Houses across Co-Operative Street and Victoria Street will be demolished and replaced with nine two and three-bedroom council houses, along with new pavements, street lighting and trees.

Matt O’Neill, executive director for growth and sustainability at Barnsley Council, told the Local Democracy Reporting Service that by building new homes instead of renovating existing ones, the authority would "diversify the types of properties" available to residents.

The new homes will be two and three-bedroom and energy efficient

Mr O’Neill said: “Our vision with the Goldthorpe Housing Project is to provide quality, affordable, environmentally-friendly housing options for the local community, supporting our Barnsley 2030 ambitions.

“These high-quality new builds will offer a range of benefits for residents and the community alike, and we continue to support residents affected by these plans in relocating."

He added that the project was a "fantastic opportunity" to improve housing and infrastructure in the area.

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